Three police officers attached to the Area F command of the Lagos State Police have been detained for allegedly extorting N100,000 from a Chinese expatriate along Sheraton-Opebi Link Road in Lagos. The incident took place on Wednesday during a stop-and-search operation.
According to reports, the officers flagged down the expatriate and requested his documents, including his green card. Though the expatriate provided digital copies of the documents through his phone, the officers insisted on seeing the original versions. After the expatriate explained that he could not provide the physical documents, the officers allegedly demanded a bribe of N100,000. To avoid being late for an important meeting, the expatriate was forced to make the payment into a Point of Sale (POS) account.
The situation came to light when the expatriate, who works for a prominent construction company, shared his ordeal with his Nigerian colleagues. His story was then escalated to rights activist Lameed Adekunle and the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights. The officers were identified, and the case was reported to the police authorities, leading to their detention.
Adewale Ojo from the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights confirmed the arrest of the officers and stated that they had been summoned to the Provost’s office in Ikeja, where they are being held. He added that the officers had been instructed to refund the extorted N100,000 to the expatriate by Monday.
A receipt of the transfer, bearing the expatriate’s name and the recipient’s details, was also shared by sources. Despite attempts to contact the Lagos State Police Command spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, for a statement, calls and text messages remained unanswered.
This incident follows a similar case in October 2024, when officers from the Area C Police Command in Surulere were accused of extorting N1 million from National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members during a stop-and-search.
